Professional Documents
Culture Documents
OF THE SAINTS
Kirpal Singh
THE WAY OF THE SAINTS
Sant Mat
SANTBANIASHRAM
Franklin, NH 03235, USA
left the world, settled in the Punjab to carry out his spir-
itual mission. One day in August 1894, Baba Jaimal
Singh Ji and a disciple were walking along the Koh-marie
Road, where Hazur was inspecting the work in progress
there, in his capacity as Sub-Divisional Officer. As Baba
Jaimal Singh Ji passed by with his companion, he pointed
to Hazur and said, "I have come here because of that
person." The disciple remarked, "You have come for a
funny person, who does not even turn his head to greet
you." Babaji kindly explained, "This personage has come
into this world specially for a very high expression of life,
and after four days he will come to me." Hazur Maharaj
came to Babaji in the company of one Mr. Sukh Dyal.
After four days' Satsang he took initiation, and stayed
near Baba Jaimal Singh Ji for two months. After Babaji
left Koh-marie, Hazur spent most of his time in meditation
and as the love for his Guru increased, his heart grew
heavier with sadness at being separated from his Master.
He would visit Babaji at every available opportunity to
derive the invaluable blessing of his presence.
Baba Jaimal Singh Ji lived on the edge of the River
Beas, where in 1898 the foundation stone of the Dera
Baba Jaimal Singh was laid and a Satsang hall built.
Whenever his leave occurred Hazur would go straight to
Beas and on arrival leave all his pay at Babaji's feet,
from which Babaji would give him enough for his main-
tenance and send whatever was necessary for housekeeping
to Hazur's wife. In all the thirty years of working, Hazur
spent only a total of six months with his wife, for all
his leave was spent with Babaji and he would visit his
home only on orders from his Master.
THE LIFE OF BABA SAWAN SINGH 9
the fires and make more bread, but the three hundred
people outside started shouting for food. Just then, Hazur
entered the kitchen and said, "Kirpal Singh, why are you
not giving them food?" I replied, "Hazur, there is only
half a basketful of bread, how can I feed three hundred
people with that? We have to make more." Baba Sawan
Singh smiled and said, "Fear not, but cover the basket
with a cloth and go on serving the bread." I did as Hazur
had instructed, and the three hundred men ate and ate
until they could eat no more, and when the meal was
finished there was still the same amount of bread left as
there had been at the start.
It is very often considered that miracles are just stories
invented out of the imagination, but in fact, very few peo-
ple know what a miracle truly is. The word itself literally
means "things which astonish." Coleridge says that the
fact that Christ performed miracles was verification that
he was carrying out his Father's orders. Locke says that
miracles are like a letter of promise from God, which
Saints and Avatars bring with them to this world. The
common man does not know how such happenings are
performed, and calls them "miracles" which actually shows
his ignorance of the real facts. In the Patanjali Sutra of
Maharishi Patanjali, in the third stanza, verses 5-51, it is
written that creating worldly things like curing the sick,
making barren women fertile, producing precious gems,
etc., are called riddhis and siddhis and performing these
things beset the way of perfection; it is no proof of per-
fection. For he who goes into samadhi (the state of leaving
the body at will) such things are like plucked flowers
scattered before and behind him on his path-a true pil-
16 THE LIFE OF B A B A SAWAN SINGH
tion in driving into the midst of the supposed "enemy" was in-
sane from the military point of V~~IW.-THE EDITOR
24 T H E L I F E OF BABA SAWAN SINGH
" These titles are usually given t o those working or posing at one
particular place in the name of previous Saints or Sages after the
latter abandon o r depart physically.
OVERLEAF: Hazur Maharaj Baba Sawarl Singh Ji. ABOVE:
Baba Sawan Singh laying the foundation stone o f the Sat-
sang Hall, Beas, September 30, 1934. RIGHT:Buba Sawan
Singh Ji and Param Sant Kirpal Singh Ji.
A B O V E : Reading the mail. RIGHT: Baba Sawan Singh with
Sant Kirpal Singh and Bibi Ralli.
ABOVE: A t a picnic. TOP RIGHT: With a group of devotees.
Kirpal Singh is seated on the right of Baba Sa wan Singh;
Kirpal Singh's son Darshan is on the ground in front of
him. BELOW RIGHT: Another group of devotees. Sant Kir-
pal is standing, second from right, in the middle row.
Sardar Bahadur Jagat Singh is seated on the ground to the
right of Baba Sawan Singh. Sawan Singh's two sons are
standing at left and second from left, in the middle row;
third from left is S. Jodh Singh, Kirpal Singh's elder
brother.
THE LIFE OF BABA S A W A N SINGH 33
own body to keep those initiated by them clean and thus save
them from pangs and anxiety of the day of judgment. This is
however a poor estimate of the gigantic treasure of love they
have for their disciples, regardless of reciprocity. This is one
of the many great responsibilities that true Saints have to share,
unperceived and unknown to their disciples.
36 THE LIFE OF B A B A SAWAN SINGH
is keeping his doors open all the time and is calling aloud:
"Bring into actual experience the great principle of
'withdrawal before death'. I am impatiently waiting
for you to come up to me. I am nearer to you than
the nearest. For those of you initiated by me it is a
sacrilege and a mark of disgrace on both love and
devotion if you look upon anybody else as a Guru
or Master-guide. You may, however, derive benefit
from the company of some awakened personality
who pays a visit to me every day. H e will not mis-
guide you, but on the contrary, will unite you with
me, will instill my love in you, and will strengthen
the Divine link that binds and ties you to me. More-
over, in the capacity of Cur-bhai [or spiritual broth-
er] he shall be helpful to serve you."
It is therefore clear that for those approximately 150,000
souls initiated by Hazur, the guiding Master is Hazur him-
self. Consequently, all these should engage themselves in
Bhajan and Simran with full faith, confidence, trust and
Dhyan of Hazur alone. All these shall be looked after ulti-
mately in the same form of Hazur. That immortal mes-
senger of our future betterment is continuously watching
and superintending us each moment. Many disciples of
Hazur Maharaj Sahib are getting Hazur's darshan within
these days and those who are thus blessed are mitigating
their sorrowful hearts by talking-far more freely than
ever before-face to face with him. We too-if we divert
our attention from this mortal world and worldly connec-
tions and turn to that Master of the Divine Spring of
Immortality, then Hazur, with his illimitable kindness, will
40 THE L I F E OF BABA S A W A N S I N G H
REFERENCES
I . A Brief Life Sketclr o f Baba Sawatr Singh J i Malraraj, Delhi:
Ruhani Satsang, 1968, pp. 1-2.
2. "Scenes from a Great Life," Sat Sandesh. July 1970. pp. 2-4.
3. "The Spiritual Revolution Explained," Sat Sandesll, April 1973,
p. 27.
4. &'Scenes from a Great Life," pp. 4-9
5. A Brief Life Sketch, pp. 5-10.
6 . "Selections from an Early Discourse," Sat Sundesh. April 1970,
pp. 29-3 1.
7 . A Brief Life Sketch, pp. 10-22.
Discourses & Essays
Collected in this section are miscellaneous talks, pam-
phlets, etc., on various aspects o f the Path o f the Masters.
issued by Sant Kirpal Singh Ji over a period of twenty
years-from 1954 to 1974.
M A N ! KNOW T H Y S E L F . One
o f the most popular o f all o f
Kirpal Singh's writings, this was originally a talk given
by the Master in the early days o f his mission, recorded
on tape, and sent to the West for the benefit of his Amer-
ican disciples. The tape was somewhat unsatisfactory be-
cause the diflerence between the machine in India on which
it was recorded, and those in America on which it was
played, resulted in the Master's voice playing too fast and
sounding distorted. Nevertheless it carried the Master's
charging, and many people, including this writer, spent
many hours listening lo it over and over, at a time when
few tapes were available. The talk was first published as
a pamphlet in January 1954 and has gone through eleven
printings. The original text was revised slightly by the
Master in 1970, und that is the version included here.
Man! Know Thyself
Kind hearts ure the gardens,
Kind thoughts are the roots;
Kind words are the blossoms,
Kind deeds are the fruits.
INCE THE BEGINNING of Creation, when the first flicker
S of self-awakening dawned on man, his attention has
been more and more concerned with the problem of his
own worldly existence and the investigation into the cause
and source of all Creation. For ages he has probed and
queried in vain; but now at last his increasing thirst for
knowledge is turning him to study the results achieved by
others in the field.
Ancient and modern sages asked, "What is that, the
knowledge of which makes everything else known?" and
in the same breath replied, "Knowledge of the Higher
Self-the True Man." So the Supreme Knowledge is that
which deals both in theory and practice with Man's true
nature and his relation to God. It is in fact a natural sci-
ence without hypothesis, subject neither to change nor
time.
In ancient India it was called "Para Vidya" (Science of
Realized Truth or Science of the Beyond), and different
denominations sprang up to interpret this knowledge. The
term "Apra Vidya," standing for preparation for achieving
the knowledge of Para Vidya, was then introduced. This
44 DISCOURSES AND ESSAYS
own eyes and ears rather than with the eyes and ears of
others.
SELF-ANALYSIS
Man is composed of body, mind (intellect) and soul.
We are extremely careful to develop ourselves physically
and mentally, but understand very little about the soul,
which is the power ruling both the body and the mind.
Physical joys are not lasting, and there are limitations of
body and mind that we cannot ignore; so we must search
for the perennial source of joy and peace within ourselves.
Self-analysis is the first step in this direction.
Many doubts assail our minds at this stage. There is an
Omnipotent Power called God, believed in, worshiped and
talked about by most people. Can we know more about
Him? Can we see Him and talk to Him? There is a defi-
nite and clear reply to these questions; the Master in a few
brief words explains, "Yes, we can see and speak to Him;
that is, if we become as exalted as He is said to be." Mas-
ters say "Yes," and we do not have to wait until death
comes, but we can experience it right now. This is in con-
sonance with Laws of Nature of which we have as yet no
knowledge worth the name.
All around us we see and feel that everything from the
tiny atom to the mighty Universe is governed by a Law of
Nature. So, to the profound thinker, there is nothing cha-
otic, haphazard or uncertain about this Universe and the
laws which govern it. To gain any objective, there is a Law
of Nature, a principle and method involved for checking,
testing and weighing the result of our endeavors. So it is
too in this Science of Nature, and similar methods can be
traced in all religious scriptures by any careful student,
though expressed in different words and various languages.
We wish to enter the Kingdom of God; "but how?" we
ask ourselves. "With the help and guidance of one who
has himself entered and can guide us there," is the simple
reply from the Masters. "Is it possible?" "It is a knowl-
edge which is as exact and sure as two and two make
four," is again their reply. It is not enough to be content
with holy books and the singing of praises and hymns. We
must strive for the same degree of advancement as the
authors of the talks and knowledge recorded in these
books achieved. Their experience must become our ex-
perience, for "what a man has done, a man can do"; of
course, with proper help and guidance. We should stop
at nothing short of this.
"We have hardly a dim spark of love for Him; will it
help to cherish a hope?" is another question asked, to
which the Saints reply, "It is sufficient to make you eligible
for the Highest Science of approach to Him." This is a
pleasing ray of hope. Oh! if this small spark could be
kindled into a flame! Again, we say, "Jesus and other great
Masters spoke so lovingly of Him, but we are sinners and
there may not be much hope for us in this age." The Mas-
ters' soothing reply is, "No matter if you are the worst of
sinners, stop where you are. There is hope for everybody,
even in this crucial age." Ages ago, Nature provided for
us materially and spiritually. Today the same unchange-
able Law is operating and will continue to do so in the
future. There is food for the hungry and water for the
thirsty. Nature's inexorable and eternal Law of demand
and supply always works.
It is only through a living Master that we can contact
48 DISCOURSES AND ESSAYS
THE TEACHINGS
OF THE MASTERS(MAN-MAKING)
A man, according to the science of Para Vidya, is not
entitled to be called a man in the true sense of the word
unless he has full knowledge, both theoretical and practi-
cal, of his distinguished position in Creation, his several
component parts-body, mind, and soul-in order of com-
parative importance, and of his relationship to the Unseen
Power called God; which is to be achieved while he is liv-
ing on this earth. He who does not understand this much
has not even been introduced to the first lesson and is yet
to begin the Alphabet of Man. The Saints therefore im-
press upon us the need for "Man-making."
where the shallow waters begin and then say that we have
bathed in the sea. Thus, to experience this Power and to
derive benefit from it, we must go to the only source of
contact-a Master Saint.
LIFEBEYOND
DEATH
Saints say that Nature has designed man to leave his
physical body at will, transcend to higher planes, and then
return to the body. They help each aspirant personally and
each receives a practical experience, however little it may
be, during the very first sitting at the time of Initiation. A
person who is competent to give a man this personal ex-
perience of withdrawal or separation (temporary) from
the body, and who can thus put him on the way back to
God, is a genuine Master, Saint, or Satguru. The heads of
different religious organizations were intended to do just
this, but we may judge for ourselves their efficacy today.
The first-hand experience we receive, through the kind-
ness of a real Saint, is in itself the solution to the problem
of death. According to the Bible, "Unless you are born
anew, you cannot enter into the Kingdom of God." So to
be born anew is to leave one's body and enter into the Be-
yond-a transition from the physical to the astral plane.
Some day we have to leave this temporary structure which,
like a building of bricks and mortar, deteriorates with time.
There is no appeal to the Laws of Nature against the
"death sentence." We fear death because of the agony and
suffering which it brings, and also because of the uncer-
tainty that lies ahead in the Beyond. We fear illness be-
cause it brings us near death's door; so we struggle to live
though we know that our end is certain. No soothing words
M A N ! KNOW THYSELF 51
KARMA(ACTIONS A N D DEEDS)
Each thought, each word and each deed has to be ac-
counted for and compensated for in Nature. Every cause
has an effect and every action brings about a reaction. Up-
root the cause and the effect disappears. This has been
done by the Masters who have transcended these laws,
but all others are bound by the bonds of Karma, which is
the root cause of physical existence and the clever device
of Nature to maintain this existence. The law of Karma
sees to it that we are paid an eye for an eye and tooth for
a tooth, in the shape of joy or suffering. I t is the goading
whip in the hidden hands of Nature. The mind contracts
Karma, puts a covering on the soul and rules the body
through the organs and the senses. Although it is the soul
that imparts strength to the mind, the latter has assumed
sovereignty and is governing the soul instead. Control of
the mind, therefore, is the first step to Spirituality. Victory
over the mind is victory over the world. Even accom-
plished yogis and mystics who can transcend to relatively
MAN!KNOW THYSELF 55
FOR JUDGING
THE CRITERION A TRUEMASTER
love and revere God. So too, the love for the visible Mas-
ter, our closest connecting link with God, is in reality love
for the Supreme Father. We should therefore try to meas-
ure the depth of God's mercy and grace through a Master
Saint, who is God's visible representative. It has Spiritual-
ity as its end and is not idolatry. The atmosphere in which
such a genuine Master moves is charged with currents of
peace and love which affect those who come into contact
with him. Even letters written by or on behalf of him carry
currents of ecstasy that influence the innermost recesses of
the heart.
Guru precedes God. Such a person was Master Hazur
Baba Sawan Singh Ji Maharaj, who remained with His dis-
ciples for a great number of years and now, even after He
has left the body, still watches over His loved ones and
also those who contacted Him once with love and sincer-
tiy in their hearts. Love knows no law, and He is still ap-
pearing in His Radiant Form, even on lower spiritual
planes, for their sake. Not one, but hundreds can testify
to what ignorant people would call an illusion. On the
physical plane, He is still showering His blessings through
His medium at Ruhani Satsang, Sawan Ashram, who now in
turn guides men in all spiritual matters. One bulb is fused
and is replaced by another. The same Power works and
the same Light now shines from a new bulb. All who ap-
proach the Master get positive experiences. Anybody who
wishes to avail himself of such a golden opportunity
has only to contact the Master and his wishes will be ful-
filled, his heart will overflow with happiness, and his weary
shoulders will be relieved of their burden of cares and
worries.
RUHANI SATSANG: SCIENCE OF SPIRITUALITY was crigi-
nally published in 1956 us Circular No. 6 (see the Intro-
duction to Part I l l for an explanation o f the original num-
bering o f the circulars), and has since gone through a wide
variety o f editions, including some abridged versions. The
Master added the section "Cultural Development Through
'Man-Making' " in 1970.
Ruhani Satsang: Science of Spirituality
UHANI SATSANG, as the name implies, is a center for im-
R parting purely spiritual teachings and training to man-
kind, irrespective of class barriers such as caste, color,
creed, sect, age, education or avocation. As Nature offers
her bounties of light, water and air, etc., freely to one and
all, so is Spirituality offered free to all who are anxious for
Self-knowledge and God-knowledge.
In this age of science, Spirituality too has to be treated
as a regular science to make it acceptable to the people.
It is in fact another name for the Science of the Soul, but,
unlike other sciences, it is very definite and very exact in
its premise, theory and practice, and yields verifiable results
wtih mathematical precision. Its history dates back to the
unknown past, when man first began t c reflect within on
the meaning of life. It has ever been the natural urge in
man to solve the riddle of life. In every age, sages and seers
appeared in different parts of the world and gave out the
spiritual experiences which we have with us in the form of
the sacred scriptures. We are indeed very fortunate to pos-
sess their fine records, for they kindle in us a desire and
longing to know, and inspire us with a hope that one day
we too can unravel the mystery of life and the purpose of
human existence.
So far so good, but beyond this there is no way out. By
mere reading of sacred literature, we cannot possibly un-
DISCOURSES AND ESSAYS
Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy
heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy
mind.
This is the first and great commandment.
And the second is like unto it: Thou shalt love
thy neighbor as thyself.
MATTHEW 22:37-39
It is therefore necessary that we must learn to love all liv-
ing creatures, and more so our fellow human beings, as all
are the children of the same Supreme Father. Thereby we
are not only true to ourselves, but true to the community,
to the nation or country to which we belong; and above all,
to humanity at large. This leads to the progressive expan-
sion of the Self until it embraces the entire universe and
one becomes a world citizen with a cosmopolitan outlook
in its truest sense, deserving of God's grace.
Further, what is the nature of love? It should be an un-
selfish love, a love which worketh no ill to anyone, a love
78 DISCOURSES AND ESSAYS
help the souls who yearn for Him and wish to return to
the House of their Father:
Without a perfect Master, none can reach God,
no matter if one may have merits a million-
fold.
I t is the fundamental law o f God that none can
even comprehend Him without the aid o f a
Masler-soul.
THE HOLY GRANTH
ments. The rest is for Him to do. God is love. You are
also love. Love is the potent factor in meeting God. "He
that loveth not, knoweth not God." Therefore. '"thou shalt
love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy
soul and with all thy mind." 1 wish you to be the doers of
the Word and not hearers only, for an ounce of practice
is worth more than tons of theories. Reformers are badly
needed, not of others, but of themselves. You shall have
Godhead as salary. I wish you all Godspeed in your ef-
forts to tread the way back to God, which lies within you.
My love and best wishes are always with you and will re-
main with you. The mystery of life is solved in the com-
pany of those who have solved that for themselves. How
to find such a man? One who has solved this mystery can
help in finding the same Truth.
Someone questioned Guru Nanak as to how one could
find a true and real Guru, and by what signs H e could be
recognized. Guru Nanak replied: "The human body is a
temple of God, and it is by turning within that we meet
God. There is a way from this house of the body to an-
other house within (the Nij Char or Sach Khund) which
is the Real House; and here the soul finds everlasting
peace. The human body is just like a rented house, given
to us temporarily (i.e., allotted span of life) until, in the
meanwhile, the soul is wise enough to gain access to her
permanent abode of everlasting bliss. Now, the Real and
True Master is one who can show us the way out to the
Kingdom of God within this body and can lead the soul
from stage to stage until the kingdom is gained and the
soul comes into her own."
The human body, like any other physical thing, is sub-
SIMRAN 97
ular practice the soul becomes fully absorbed into the Elix-
ir of Naam and the mind is rendered absolutely ineffectual.
As said above, the Sound Current begins from Turya
Pad when, the sensory current having withdrawn from the
body, the soul enters into the Beyond. The five strains in
seriatim follow one another from one spiritual plane to an-
other until Sach Khand is reached. One has to take hold
of each of these strains or melodies for traversing from
stage to stage until the final stage is attained. It is only here
that salvation of the soul is assured and the cycle of births
and deaths ends. This is the grand purpose of life, which
one fulfills through the grace of the Master-soul.
The Master Saint Shamas Tabriz says: "The Great God
has turned us out and closed strongly the door behind the
eyes. He Himself comes to us in the garb of a man to take
us back into His fold."
The method by which He lets us in once again is ex-
plained further:
First one has to withdraw into the silence of the soul,
before he begins to hear the five strains of Music. The sen-
sory current is to be withdrawn at the seat of the soul be-
hind the eyebrows. The journey onward begins from this
stage, the seventh in the order from below. When the soul
rises above the six chakras or ganglions in the Pind or
physical body and starts toward Sahunsdal Kanwal (the
thousand-petaled lotus), the seventh stage, she catches the
first of the five strains of the Divine Music and proceeds
further. There is no Naam in the lower six chakras. These
in fact are the grave, from which we have to rise above
and come to the point from where the Grand Trunk Road
of Spirituality begins.
SIMRAN 103
he deals in, and how he can make huge profits in his bus-
iness. A school-master likewise dreams of his school,
classes, pupils and lessons, on all of which his attention is
closely riveted. Again a contractor is engrossed in prob-
lems of labor, material and various building processes.
Thus every one of us is constantly dwelling on one
thing or another. This close association leaves an imprint
in the human mind which in course of time becomes indel-
ible enough and leads to complete identification of the sub-
ject with the object-and hence it is said, "As you think
so you become," or "Where the mind is there you are
also," no matter where the physical self is. This being the
case, Saints take hold of a person from the line of least re-
sistance.
As no one can do without Simran, the Saints try to set
one type of Simran for another type. They substitute for
Simran of the world and worldly relations and objects, a
Simran of God's Name, or "Word." As the former leads
to distraction of the mind, the latter pulls heavenward,
leading to peace of mind and liberation of the soul. Three
to four hours in a day has been enjoined as the minimum
for Simran, and it may be gradually increased. The Ma-
hatmas are never without Simran even for a single mo-
ment. As it is altogether a mental process (for it is to be
done by the tongue of thought), no amount of physical
and manual labor can interfere with it. In course of time,
like the tick of a clock, it becomes automatic and ceaseless
for all the twenty-four hours. While the hands are en-
gaged in work, the mind rests in the Lord.
I now give you some details of recipes prescribed for
doing Simran or repetition of the name of God.
106 DISCOURSES A N D ESSAYS
How TO DO S I M R A N
F o r Simran one has to adopt some convenient posture
and then fix his attention on the Divine Ground betwsen
the eyebrows. Simran is entirely a mental process and is
to be done mentally with the tongue of thought, while the
gazing faculty is to be fixed at the spot behind the two
eyebrows a s said above. T h e Words as given by the Mas-
ter may slowly be repeated mentally o r with the tongue of
thought. It should be done without causing any strain o r
pressure on the forehead. T h e practice may be started with
a half hour o r s o as may be convenient, but in course of
time it should be developed to two o r three hours a day or
even longer. Simran of the Divine Names introverts the
mind and weans it from worldly thoughts and mundane
matters, until it gets stilled and is equipoised.
Some d o Simran with closed eyes and others with open
eyes. T h e first in some cases sinks into drowsiness leading
to what may be called Yog Nidra, and the second in some
cases keeps the mind engaged on environments. O n e has
therefore to guard against both pitfalls. Simran with closed
eyes is preferable provided one retains full consciousness.
It must be done regularly every day at a fixed time. Hafiz.
Sufi poet of Persia, says "The only job is to pray. unmind-
ful of whether it is accepted o r not." This means you have
to remember the Lord internally without any clutching to
receive one thing o r the other. We have to leave everything
t o L o r d o r Master working overhead. Just as we need food
for the body. so d o we need food for the soul. W e are
very careful in giving food to the horse of the body. but
starve the rider-the spirit-the life-giving fountainhead
SIMRAN 113
less you contact the Named you cannot derive the full
benefit of the words repeated by you. For instance you
say "water" in English, aqua in Latin, pani and aab in
Urdu and Persian, jal and nir in Hindi, but by repetition
of these names alone your thirst cannot be satisfied. It is
only by drinking the particular fluid which is called by so
many names that your thirst is appeased. By doing Sim-
ran of the world and its environments, they have so much
taken possession of us that we have become the world and
it environments. We have to use the same methods so as to
eliminate all the worldly thoughts from within by remem-
bering sweetly of the Lord in the words devised by the
Saints so far. So there are two uses of Simran: one use is
to withdraw from the body by Simran of the electrified
words given by a competent Master, and the second is to
drive out the world and its thoughts from within us by the
constant remembrance of the Lord in so many ways as
prescribed, the description of which has been given above
in detail.
Further he says :
O n continuous fruitless revolution,
The rosary cried out quarreling,
" W h y do you turn me round and round?"
Turn mental rosary should you want a Masler
guide.
Telling beads and counting the turns o n fingers,
Hollow are such deeds o f merit, performed with
wandering mind.
How can God be found with an insensate mind?
Kabir says, "When doing all ablutions or purificatory exer-
cises like telling the beads, etc., your mind is not still,
what is the good of doing them after all? While you are
telling the beads and counting the number of rosary revo-
lutions performed on your fingers. the mind like an un-
bridled colt is wandering about. All such deeds are there-
fore of no avail. You can meet God through a living Mas-
ter only, when according to His instructions, you learn to
bridle the mind and turn it the other way" (i.e., inward
and upward from its usual way of looking at things out-
ward and downward). The practice of concentration and
focusing of the mind can only be achieved through Simran
as enjoined by a Master-soul and by nothing else.
Kabir Sahib further presses the point.
In vain is the rosary that loosens not the mind
knot.
A true heaven lies in the Master'r feet alone.
N o outer shows are needed, all must be done
within;
W h y lose time with the outside world?
SIMRAN 129
tested that they had been turned out of the dominion and
there was no hope for them. The Czar assured them that
he had influence with the royal court, including some with
the Czar, and that there would be no trouble. Those who
believed him agreed to accompany him to their homes. On
the way their faith in their fellow worker was confirmed
when the Czar disguised as a laborer was warmly greeted
by his men. At last when all saw in the end that the distin-
guished laborer was none other than the Czar himself sit-
ting on the throne before their eyes, they heaved sighs of
relief. How could they have known him o r believed him
before?
The Unseen High One uses a very selected human pole,
who, by dint of his continued, untiring and unending en-
deavors, unequaled in self-sacrifice and boundless love
for Him during life, contacts Him within himself, becomes
His conscious co-worker, and is utilized and assigned the
mission of giving solace to afflicted seekers of Him, to
rescue them from the worries of the world and to unite all
such ones to Him who owns them.
Man needs man to understand, and so a Sant is the
High One in the guise of a man to whom those longing for
Him can approach. The Unseen Almighty has His own law
in this respect. Thus, Sant is God plus man. He is a mouth-
piece of God, or if one is pleased to accept it, he is God
in person, "personified God." He is most sacred "personal
GodH1invested with all powers and authority and is a liv-
1. One might feel aversion at this expression, but if one thinks
deeply he will realize that holy personalities in every religion were
men in physical bodies duly contacted with the High Lord, and
advised, healed or talked of the Holy Father only as savior from
sin and giver of salvation. God has no co-sharer is the general
SANT: THE MASTER 135
belief, and as such God, through the selected human pole, spoke
each time and not man. The Divine Science brings to light this
important fact and has more respect for all such personalities
and their teachings than any religious circles today.
Sant Tulsi Sahib of Hathras (U. P., India) once, accompanied
by some of his devoted disciples, visited a fair in the locality
there. Among some visitors who gathered as inquirers and seekers
around him happened to he a queen, Tara Mati by name, who
leaving her state carriage at a distance, came for darshan of Holy
Tulsi Sahib.
Casting a glance over the thousands of people in the fair, Tulsi
Sahib uttered a few words: "If anyone or the whole multitude
comes to me and says that they want to see the True Lord on
High, I will take them to Him just now." Queen Tara Mati, who
heard him, stepped forward with folded hands and said, "Please
take me t o Him, 0 Holy One." She sat with eyes closed on the
ground and was given the experience right there on the spot.
When she came back into the physical body from the high regions
and opened her eyes, she said, "You were on the high seat of the
Great Lord. Why did you not tell me so before?" Tulsi Sahib
replied, "You would not have believed me then."
136 DISCOURSES AND ESSAYS
The fruit trees and plants from which the cereal comes
which a Sant uses in his diet also get human bodies di-
rectly. The tree, a portion of a branch of which the Sant
uses as his datan (toothbrush), and the cows who provide
milk for the Sants also get man's body direct. Similarly the
mares, etc., Sants ride, the ants or worms whose bodies
touch the flowing water in which a Sant bathes, or any
flying bird who happens to see the naked portion of the
body of a Sant also get the same advantage."
An ordinary man would take this as an enigma or joke
and would hardly be prepared to believe because his test-
ing stone is his intellect, and he knows nothing of the
Power of God, or such powers delegated to or concessions
inherent in the bodies of Sants, unless he acquires experi-
ence in the noble science that has been designed by God
Himself for man. It is true that God is unseen to external
eyes, but He has not left man all forlorn on earth so far
as approach to Him is concerned. The door of approach,
the starting point, for any search or research in this con-
nection lies within man. The Sant is the means.
Man therefore must adopt a course different from that
upon which he is attempting to make headway; but proud
of his "learning" in many fields, he goes astray, just as
one examining a bowl found in the ruins of a far-off coun-
try begins to ponder, speculate and concentrate his imagin-
ings on the potter who made it long ago. He draws a sketch
of the potter in his mind, makes images of him and his im-
plements, and in so doing writes books, one after the other,
trying to impress others and prove that his findings are
-
the server of the bread will be intoxicated (with the love of Him)
to an extent beyond expression."
138 DISCOURSES AND ESSAYS
true and deserve praise. Alas, man is far from the right
track.
Simple is Truth and still simpler the language of Truth
spoken by the Sants, whose simple and brief words uttered
from the heart satisfy, pacify and console the most be-
wildered and troubled souls. They speak involuntarily and
unaffectedly.
A Sanl is the mouthpiece of God, and God Him-
self speaks through the human throat.
MAULANA RUM1
As a man, a Sant is always submissive to His Will in hap-
penings in life. Bear and forbear is a Sant's creed. He is
like a sandalwood tree on which a feller's axe strikes its
blows, but the tree continues to give forth its fragrance,
even to the edge of the blade which cuts it.
In the company of a Sant the agitated mind becomes
still. He stands for the good of man and does his work as
a friend or brother, if one's mind is not prepared to ac-
cept him as a guide. He remains concealed, but by his very
concealment is added fame to fame and glory to glory."
3. A Sant will never say that he is a Sant. Hazur. when he was
told that he was true Guru Nanak, used to say openly before
thousands in Satsang that he did not bear any likeness even to
the dogs of G u r u Nanak. This humility places Sants above the
level of the highest cultivated human beings, w h o are often prey
to egotism. It is the summit of merits of Sants as men.
Concealment is the essential attribute of Sants. It is inherent in
their character. God is concealed and prefers to remain so,
from the external view of man. This Law is from the High One
for those bodies in which the Lord is pleased to work. Disregard
of this Divine Law results in bodily punishment. F o r this reason
also, a Master Saint never shows any miracle for attracting souls
from mundane life for purposes of initiation. A student or dis-
ciple, however, sees any number of miracles at each move in this
SANT: THE MASTER 139
Kali Yuga (iron age) man has been allotted a limited num-
ber of breaths in one lifetime. He has been given roughly
26,000 breaths a day (the amount varies from pcrson to
person and is determined by the prarabdh or fate karma).
While sitting he spends 12 a minute; when walking, he
spends 18 a minute; and in sexual intercourse, 64. These
breaths are his entire legacy and wealth in bodily life.
Sants advise man to put this wealth in a secure bank of
proper adjustment in order to lengthen life and derive the
utmost from it. They emphasize that there is no other
way; but man will not listen. Sants further say that man
is subjected to the law of evolution in 8,400,000 kinds of
embodied creation and gets one body after the other and
in each body is further chained with iron fetters of the
inexorable law of Nature, Karma: first "work and act"
and then "cause and effect," and he must rid himself of
this cycle of repeated births and deaths in order to attain
peace. With open eyes, man watches living beings, even
man, suffering, dying with untold pain and agony, but he
smiles away the Truth as revealed by Sants, saying, "We
know better. We have our own solid science based on
facts, we have our inventions, our atomic energy, etc."
Thus the less man thinks, the more he talks, and
things not understood are admired. Notwithstanding all
this, the Sants continue pushing on with their mission with
perseverance and offering experience in the Divine Science,
Para Vidya, to those who come to them. The Name of
the Lord is a very strong tower. The sting of reproach is
the truth of it. Self-evident Truth requires no proof. The
sun can be seen by nothing but his own light. You CANNOT
BE LOST ON A STRAIGHT ROAD.
WORLD PEACE IN THE ATOMIC AGE is a talk given by the
Master at the Ninth General Session o f UNESCO, held in
New Delhi in 1956. The Master spoke at Sapru Hall on
December 9, sponsored by The Society for the Uplift o f
Mankind. The talk was published in Sat Sandesh in May
1970.
World Peace in the Atomic Age
Mr. President, Delegates, Leaders, and Friends:
T IS A HAPPY event to meet the distinguished delegates
I and members of the different countries of the world who
have come to discuss plans and demonstrate universal
brotherhood in action, in the spirit of peace and loving
kindness for all the world. I have love for God and for all
humanity. Fully knowing that men and women of high at-
tainments are present here, I venture to speak to you
frankly what strikes my mind on the subject which is a
main objective before us: namely, Peace of the World.
Man does not live by bread alone. He has to live on the
bread of life. He is a conscious being and has to know
himself to live on God consciousness. Man is a conscious
entity which expresses itself through mind and physical
body. Unless he is liberated from bondage of mind and
matter, he cannot have knowledge of self and of God. If
his mind is turned to the physical body and its needs, he
becomes earthly. The inevitable result is jealousies and
strifes. But if it is directed toward soul, he becomes spirit-
ual; the result will be love and peace. The preamble to the
UNESCO Constitution says that since war began in the
minds of men, it is in the minds of men that defenses of
peace must be constructed. All Masters who came in the
past turned man's attention to the purification of the heart.
If we want to change the ouside, we should change our
150 DISCOURSES A N D ESSAYS
with all our soul, with all our heart, and with all our
strength. Masters who came in the past told us to go by
the scriptures. How many of us should do this? At least
those who are awakened to this truth should do that. Let
them start from themselves. God wants reformers, as I
told you before, not of others but of themselves. So many
people sitting here, say six hundred to seven hundred, if
we just start doing that-there will be a change. Those
who come in contact with you, they will also change. So
you see it requires a very rational way of preaching by
those who have universal love, who follow the true import
of the holy scriptures which are fortunately with us today.
Had we come, say a hundred years before or four hun-
dred years before we would not have the scriptures or ex-
periences of those who came within these periods, viz.,
Ramakrishna and others. Had we come before five hun-
dred years we would not have the scriptures of the Sikh
Gurus, which are a voluminous treasure of divinity. Had
we come another fourteen or fifteen hundred years back,
we would not have the holy Koran with us. Further, go
back to two thousand years, if we happened to have come
before that, we would not have even the Bible. Twenty-
five hundred years back had you come you would not have
even the scriptures of Buddha and Mahavira. So we are
fortunate these days in the twentieth century that all those
who came in the past with fine records of their personal
experiences which they had with the self and with the
Overself are with us today. We can be benefited therefrom,
but unless we know the true import o f the scriptures, un-
derstand the one underlying principle therein, and live up
to them, we are nowhere. What do they say? They advise
WORLD PEACE I N THE ATOMIC AGE 159
bless you with whatever He deems fit. Please note that you
are not to guide but to follow. He who follows is escorted
and led to the Supreme. The cup which is under the chalice
is filled with the Divine Nectar. Hence the rare virtue of
reverential humility is an astounding asset for the child
disciple, who should always remain wide awake and con-
scious of the ever present grace being extended to him/her
in ever increasing measure. The Gracious Master Power
is ever with you. Nay it is the very enlivening principle
which is giving you life here and hereafter. Just catch
hold of it and follow it implicitly, eliminating your ego
and vanity, dropping them as outworn pieces of cloth.
Please do not strain but wait with patience and firmness.
Love knows service and sacrifice and is considered the
ennobling virtue for the assimilation of sacred teachings.
As said above, unless the polluted mind and intellect are
bereft of their sediment and dross, they fail to assimilate
the higher Truths. A vicious person shuns the Holy Com-
pany of the Saints whereas a person blessed with the boon
of humility rushes to the Master. The very physical body
is blessed when one sits in the Satsang. Such a person
knows how to still the body and mind by sweetly looking
into the lustrous eyes and forehead of the Master, or the
feeling of His auspicious presence. The heart is filled with
the pious virtues of receptivity, humility, piety, and chas-
tity. You learn the technique of invoking His Mercy by
humble prayer and supplication.
Service is considered an ornament to a beautiful person
that adorns and elevates his/her soul to become a clean
vessel for His Grace. Service of any type granted at the
Holy Feet of the Master is beneficial and should be cher-
IN REMEMBRANCE OF HAZUR 169
ou
Y WILL FIND very specific teachings from the Mas-
ters. They taught first of all that the highest aim of
a man's life is God first, and the world next. We live,
however, for the world first and God next, and we have
faith in God only insofar as we get worldly things from
Him. If sometimes for some reason or other we do not
receive those things, then our faith is broken.
Jesus said, "Except a man be born again he cannot see
the kingdom of God . . . The kingdom of God cometh
not with observation . . . the kingdom of God is within
you." By observation is meant ways which are related to
the outgoing faculties. God is Spirit and we must pray to
God in Spirit alone. God does not reside in temples made
by man, but in the God-made temple of the human body.
Within that human body temple, Jesus said, "Because I
live, ye shall live also." He did not refer to the outer son
of man, that perceptible body, but to the Inner, which
gave Light and was the Way back to God through Love.
God made man after His own image. God is All Con-
sciousness and Light, and we are also Children of Light.
We are conscious entities, environed by mind and matter,
and we are kept in the body by the God Power controlling
us. So long as that Power is in the body, we are functioning
in it; when that Power is withdrawn, we have to leave it.
Similarly, that very Power is controlling the whole uni-
verse and when it is withdrawn, dissolution and grand
dissolution set in.
178 DISCOURSES AND ESSAYS
as "one who can make audible for you the Music of the
Spheres within, and who can remove the veil of darkness
you see when you close your eyes and reveal the Light of
God." Such a person is called a Master.
far not known the "Life and Light of God" and much less
realized "God in man." We are off center in the game of
life. We are playing it at the circumference only and never
have a dip in the deepest waters of life at the center. This
is why we constantly find ourselves caught in the vortex of
the swirling waters on the surface. The life at the circum-
ference of our being is, in fact, not different from the life
at the center of our being. The two are, in fact, not un-
identical, yet when one is divorced from the other, they
look dissimilar. Hence the strange paradox: the physical
life though a manifestation of God is full of toil and tur-
moil, storm and stress, dissipation and disruption. In our
enthusiasm and zest for outer life on the plane of the
senses, we have strayed too far away from our center, nay,
we have altogether lost sight of it; and worse still, have cut
the very moorings of our barque and no wonder then we
find ourselves tossing helplessly on the sea of life. Rudder-
less and without a compass to guide our course, we are
unwittingly a prey to chance winds and waters and cannot
see the shoals, the sandbanks and the submerged rocks
with which our way is strewn. In this frightful plight, we
are drifting along the onrushing current of life-Where?
We know not.
This world, after all, is not and cannot be so bad as we
take it to be. It is a manifestation of the Life Principle of
the Creator and is being sustained by His Light. His Love
is at the bottom of all this. The world with its various reli-
gions is made for us and we are to benefit from them. One
cannot learn swimming on dry land. All that we have to
do is to correctly learn and understand the basic live truths
as are embodied in our scriptures, and practice them care-
196 DISCOURSES AND ESSAYS
the power of the Word, finds himself, can never again lose
anything in the world. He who once grasps the human in
himself, understands all mankind. It is that knowledge
by knowing which everything else becomes known. This
is an immutable law of the Unchangeable Permanence and
is not designed by any human head. It is the Sruti of the
Vedas, the Naad or Udgit of the Upanishads, the Sraosha
of the Zend Avesta, the Holy Spirit of the Gospels, the lost
Word of the Masons, the Kalma of the Prophet Moham-
med, the Saut of the Sufis, the Shabd or Naam of the Sikh
scriptures, the Music of the Spheres and of all harmonies
of Plato and Pythagoras, and the Voice of the Silence of
the Theosophists. It can be contacted, grasped and com-
muned with by every sincere seeker after Truth, for the
good not only of himself but of the entire humanity, for
it acts as a sure safety valve against all dangers with which
mankind is threatened in this atomic age.
The only prerequisite for acquiring this spiritual treas-
ure in one's own soul is self-knowledge. This is why sages
and seers in all times and in all climes have in unmistak-
able terms laid emphasis on self-analysis. Their clarion
call to humanity has always been : Man-Know Thyself.
The Aryan thinkers in the hoary past called it Atam Gian
or knowledge of the Atman or soul. The ancient Greeks
and Romans in turn gave to it the name of gnothi seauton
and nosce teipsum respectively. The Muslim divines called
it Khud-Shanasi, and Guru Nanak, Kabir and others
stressed the need for Apo Cheena or self-analysis, and de-
clared that so long as a man did not separate his soul from
body and mind, he lived only a superficial life of delu-
sion on the physical plane of existence. True knowledge
THE ESSENCE O F lZELlGlON 20 1
Satsangs and also to those who are not attending the Sat-
sang. It may be mentioned here that all Representatives
and others who met at Washington and Chicago, on my
last tour there, decided to have a corporation, which later
on came into being. The corporation is only meant for
this purpose.
If there is a fruit, then to save the kernel we need some
casing. Even nature provides for that. If the casing is not
there, the fruit is spoiled. So, inner spiritual work remains
safe only if it is conducted with a little casing. The casing
is required only when we have to keep the pure inner
kernel in its natural state. If there is no casing, then the
fruit is spoiled in a day. Some have referred to my Master,
that when He was asked once He said that no corporation
was required. Well, at that time, there were only a few in-
itiates and as a consequence there was no need of it then.
If a small group of initiates makes a beginning and after a
while this small beginning expands into so many centers
all over the United States and everywhere, then there must
be some casing to insure that the activity goes along all
right. If then there is any complaint, such as the non-
supply of books, and so forth, it may be handled expedi-
tiously. For example, I have already suggested that books
should be printed in India and supplied from there in the
required quantity.
So naturally these people in the centers over there have
to carry on this work in a businesslike way. When these
centers are working under a corporation, they have to
abide by certain rules. Even here, I have a kind of corpo-
ration, duly registered under Government law. I have to
submit all accounts to the Registrar to be duly audited by
THE FRUIT AND ITS CASING 209
the seed that was thrown on the rocks grows but there is
no depth of soil beneath such seeds and, little by little,
such growth fades away; and naturally, those seeds which
fell in the thorny hedges will grow, but they cannot fully
grow-they are retarded; and any seed which fell in the
quite prepared land will grow abundantly. If you put one
seed in of anything, that will give you hundreds of seeds
like that. For instance, you put one mango in the ground,
and that will give a tree which will give you hundreds of
mangoes. So there is abundance in nature. This parable,
then, shows what? The "seed" is the contact with the Light
and Sound Principle, which is the expression of Word or
Naam in the hearts of the initiates. For those who sim-
ply take it, the negative powers use it up because they
never put in time for that, although they are given the
"seed"-the seed is sown in them-but as they do not
put in time at all, and they don't care, after Initiation the
seed is lost.
Concerning those seeds that fall on the rocks and be-
neath which there is little or no underlying soil, after Ini-
tiation that seed should be fed by Satsangs; for if those
seeds are not watered by Satsangs, you see, naturally they
fade away-they also don't grow-they come for a few
days, then leave it. So that is why I tell the people, "Leave
hundreds of urgent works to attend the Satsangs." Those
seeds that fell in the thorny hedges won't grow there en-
cumbered by the distracting thoughts and other kinds of
hedges; they are just like those who have too many irons
in the fire, they have no time to attend to these things;
they say they have no time. Such people also don't grow.
Only such a seed which has fallen in the quite prepared
214 DISCOURSES A N D ESSAYS
analogy, observed, "I plow and sow and grow, and from
my plowing and sowing, I reap immortal fruit. My field is
religion; the weeds I pick up are passions; my plow is
wisdom; my seed is purity." Our Rishis have prayed,
Tamso ma Jyotirgamaya ("Lead me from darkness to
light.")
But this darkness cannot be illumined in just a day.
Bricks, mortar, comforts and luxuries cannot give any
such training. It is the proper atmosphere which can de-
liver the goods; that is why emphasis in the school should
be on atmosphere more than on rules, textbooks and
buildings.
The tender heart of a child calls for very delicate hand-
ling. In fact, education begins even before birth and there-
fore better care must be bestowed upon every pregnant
mother. It is a constant association with gentle forces
which breeds virtuous persons. A child is the center of
creative life. It needs to be opened as a flower is opened,
gently, by sympathy, not by force. Do not let the child
be imprisoned in the examination machine; never let him
be snubbed and scolded.
The fruits of fellowship are four-fold. The first fruit is
Artha, which indicates the economic aspect of education.
The second is Dharma, which preaches reverence for law.
Kama provides for the freer and fuller growth of human
beings. The most important is, of course, the fourth fruit.
i.e. Moksha, the complete liberation. This is liberation
from our petty selves, which impels us to shed all our big-
otry, narrow-mindedness, and chauvinism. If education
does not enable us to raise ourselves from the levels of
our ordinary selves, our average minds to heights above
TOWARD THE NEW EDUCATION 223
said,
heard, to whom does the credit go for that? Christ
I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth
in me, and I in him, rhe same bringeth forth much fruit:
for without me ye can do nothing. This is the relationship
between the Guru and his disciple. The sikh or disciple is
he who is accepted as such by the Guru. It is none of the
disciple's doing; it is all my Master's work. He said to me,
"Look here, I have done this much, the rest you have to
do." I wept in anguish, "Master, how can I do it?" And
he said, "I am with you." So when the sikh merges his
identity in the Guru and becomes one with him, it is the
Guru's power that works, for it is his work. Hafiz says,
I am rid o f all fears for I am embedded in my true Friend,
my Master; he who has drowned himself in the Water of
Life, what fear has he of death?
Ramakrishna once showed Vivekananda a plate filled
with honey and said, "This is the sea of immortality and
you are a honey-bee. How will you eat it?" Vivekananda
replied, "I will start from the edges to save myself from
getting stuck in it." Ramakrishna retorted, "It is the sea
of immortality! Plunge headlong into it."
22 8 DISCOURSES AND ESSAYS
2. A T T H E HOUR O F ELIXIR
This beautiful, powerful talk was given by the Master
in the ambrosial hour o f the early dawn, approximately
5 a m . , on his birthday.
more eloquent than speech. What can be
S ILENCE IS
said in silence cannot be communicated through words.
A man takes birth every day; he dies every night and is
born in the morning. I have no horoscope with me, but
they tell me that today is the date of my birth. But the real
birth is that which ends the cycle of birth and death. Guru
Nanak was asked by the Siddhas how he succeeded in
ending that cycle; he said, "When I took my birth in the
house of the Satguru, I was freed from the chain of birth
and death." What is it to be born in the house of the Sat-
guru? When we rise above body consciousness and sit in
His lap, that is to be born in the house of the Satguru.
With that the unending cycle is ended. And that was on
the day of Basant Panchmi [the first day of spring] in the
year 1917; because Hazur Maharaj Ji used to meet me
long before the actual physical meeting, in fact seven years
THE SPIRITUAL REVOLUTION 233
You have love for me; I too have love for you. At the
Manav Kendra hundreds of men and women belonging
to different social bodies and status in life toiled cease-
lessly, inspired with the spirit of selfless service. In the
bitter cold of the winter season they worked long in the
night, sometimes to 2 a.m. Judges, barristers, engineers,
college principals, high officials, worked side by side with
common laborers and merged their separate identities into
one common purpose. Seeing them work, it was difficult
to spot who was who. And they all sat together at one
place to take their meals. This is the basic thing in the
teachings of all Masters.
Remain in the social function to which you belong;
while remaining in it, reach the goal for which you have
joined it. It is a blessing to be in a social formation.
While there, one should achieve the purpose of being
there, which is to know God. "Knowledge" means ser-
vice, fellow-feeling, and culture; leading to humanity. You
have given me this honor; I am ashamed of it because
the credit is not mine. I am trying my best and hope to
become man some day. . . . God is already there in man,
but we have forgotten. Unless we advance spiritually, we
cannot reach the goal. These few words I have spoken
come from the understanding that I gained through the
grace of God by sitting at the feet of the Masters. The
credit you have given me for it goes to the Almighty, and
to the Master at whose feet I had the good fortune to sit
and learn. With these words I thank you all. . . .
238 DISCOURSES A N D ESSAYS
4. T H E SPIRITUAL REVOLUTION E X P L A I N E D
This extraordinary talk brought to a close the Evening
Satsang at the Vigyan Bhavan on the 7th, and sums u p
the essence of everything.
WILL NOT take much of your time now. There is a rev-
I olution in the world today. in each and every country. It
has, however, not achieved its purpose, which is that man
should become man. If man becomes man, in the true
sense of the word, he can, all alone, shake the whole
world. Archimedes, who discovered the law of gravity,
wanted to get the center of gravity of the universe so that
he could shake the whole world. But the poor fellow
couldn't get it.
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu came in Bengal. His chant was
Hari bole, "Say Hari" [the Lord]. H e had realized Hari
or God within, his whole body gave out radiation of Hari;
and on his lips was the chant, Hari bole, uttered from the
abundance of a heart overflowing with the love of Hari.
H e went to a dhobi ghat [washerman's place] and said to
a dhobi [washerman], "Hari bole." The dhobi kept silent.
Again he said, " Hari bole." The dhobi thought he must
be a mendicant asking for alms, and he remained silent.
Chaitanya repeated his chant: "Hari bole." The dhobi said,
"I will not say it." "You will have to say it!" said Chaitan-
ya. The dhobi thought, this fellow will not leave me alone,
so he said it: "Hari bole." Now, when Chaitanya uttered
the words "Hari bole" they were charged with the power
of realization; so the dhobi left off his work and took up
the unending chant, "Hari bole, Hari bole, Hari bole-"
His companions asked him, "What has happened to you,
brother?" "Hari bole, Hari bole," the continuous chant
THE SPIRITUAL REVOLUTION 239
went on, hearing which the other dhobis also started chant-
ing "Hari bole, Hari bole, Hari bole . . ."
Do you know what is at the back of it all? Be an ex-
ample of what you preach. Your life should emit rays of
ideal manhood; people who come into contact with you
should feel the radiation, But first you have to become
man, in the true sense of the word. If you take just a few
steps towards that, you will find that you have unlimited
potential of man-making. The revolution today is of the
world, not of man. If you have true love in your heart and
your goal is true, you will give out the same radiation. You
may address a gathering of thousands, they will all agree
with you.
Today people are after religions; each stands for his
own religious formation. And they all have the same teach-
ings. But we do not live up to these teachings and there-
fore they have little effect on us. If we speak with a true
heart there will be radiation;it will have its effect on others.
It is a question of charging. The words may be the same
as used by others; but they will have charging in them.
Unless we live up to what we preach, our words will have
no effect on others. With all the lectures, recitations from
scriptures, organizations and social formations; exhorta-
tions from intellectuals, that man should become man,
where do we stand? How many ideal men have we pro-
duced so far? During my Western tour I gave a talk where-
in I said that there should be a revolution aimed against
the shortcomings of our thoughts and actions: a spiritual
revolution.
Now, dear brothers, all that you have heard today-the
whole thing has been put before you so beautifully. Do we
really feel the necessity of this thing? If so, we should
240 DISCOURSES A N D ESSAYS
love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy
soul, and with all thy mind"; and "Thou shalt love thy
neighbor as thyself." (Matthew 22:37, 4 0 ) . And, "Love
your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them
that hate you and persecute you, that you may be the
children of your Father which is in heaven: . . . Be ye
therefore perfect even as your Father which is in heaven
is perfect" (Matthew 5:44-45, 4 8 ) , and so said all other
Masters who came in the past. If we live up to these
teachings, there could be no trouble at all. The royal monk,
Ashoka, in one of his rock edicts tells us: "He who reveres
his own sect but disparages the sects of others, does great
injury to his own for he lacks the essentials of a religion."
SPIRITOF SERVICE-INTERSE: The above remarks ap-
ply equally in your dealings with one another. You are
all knit together by the loving grace of the Master in bonds
of common fellowship. Honest differences of opinion may
arise and at times do arise; but these must be resolved
happily by friendly exchange of thought and mutual dis-
cussion free from bitterness and rancor. If in spite of this,
these persist, a timely reference to the Master would be
a welcome resort rather than to indulge in widening the
gulf between ourselves, by encouraging fissiparous ten-
dencies.
HARVEST IS MUCH!LABORERS ARE WANTED:All those
who help in the Master's cause in whatsoever way are the
chosen ones. Whenever a Master spirit comes into the
world, He brings His own staff with Him. Whoever puts
in a stone in His edifice, does service to Him. It therefore
behooves all the more that such selfless workers should
present a true model of common brotherhood rather than
to add another discord where there is already so much.
THE OUTER ASPECTS OF LIFE 259
fore try the vegetarian diet for at least three to six months,
to ensure that he or she can adhere to it, when put on the
Path.
2. Vihar or Livelihood: Closely associated with diet
are the means of livelihood. There are no short-cuts in
spirituality. The end here does not justify the means, as it
may be construed to do anywhere else. Ignoble means to
earn one's living do contaminate one's diet, the very
source of life itself. So an honest living by the sweat of
one's brow is essential in this line. The life plant has there-
fore to be nurtured with pure water to make it sound and
healthy, a fit instrument for the efflorescence of spiritu-
ality.
3. Achar or Conduct: The above remarks apply equally
to one's conduct in life. Every thought, every word and
every deed, good or bad, leaves an indelible imprint on
the mind and has to be accounted for. Hence the necessity
for right thoughts, right aspirations and right conduct, all
of which constitute the hedge around the tender sapling of
spirituality. The details in this behalf have been dealt with
under the five virtues discussed above.
111. SATSANG or Association with Truth:
The guidance of the living Master is of supreme impor-
tance. A Master is a Master indeed, a Master in all three
phases of life: A Guru or Master on the physical plane,
sharing our joys and sorrows, guiding affectionately each
one of us in our worldly affairs, and above all imparting
spiritual instructions; a Guru Dev or Radiant Form of the
Master in astral and causal regions helping the spirit in
meditation at each plane, and Satguru or Master of Truth
or Truth itself in the Beyond.
268 THE C I R C U L A R LETTERS
INDIVIDUAL MEDITATION
Last but not least, I may add that the human memory is
very short-lived and in moments of weakness one, under
the pressure of ever-assertive ego, is prone to forget the in-
valuable boon the Master confers, and perhaps begins to
think that the spiritual results achieved are of one's own
doing, or due to over-zealousness and over-active imagi-
nation. At times one, for lack of practice, either does not
make progress or, in the mighty and irresistible whirl of
the world, loses contact with the WORD and begins to for-
get the great benefit conferred upon him or her at the
time of Initiation. T o guard against all such lapses, it is
considered necessary that, in the future, each of the initi-
ates should, at the time of Initiation, be required to record
in his or her own hand, the actual inner experience gained,
both as to Light and Sound principles. The manifestation
from within of these principles, by helping the individual
spirit to rise above body consciousness, is the task of the
Master; and it is the paramount duty of the disciples to de-
velop the same by day to day practice-the injunction in
this behalf being, "Take heed therefore that the Light
which is in thee be not darkness!"
The disciples should therefore be encouraged to whole-
heartedly devote some time to the practice of spiritual dis-
ciplines; maintain regular diaries for introspection, show-
ing lapses in daily life and conduct, the endeavors made
and the results gained thereby; and they should be sent
regularly, after every three months, for the inspection of
the Master so that he may extend all feasible help and
INSTRUCTIONS FOR HOLDING SATSANG 289
All other Saints have said this thing in the same strain:
1. Love thy neighbor as thyself.
2. Do unto others as you would wish them to do unto
you.
The whole of the religious philosophy hangs by these
two cardinal principles. If one puts before him these two
golden rules, his life will surely be transformed. The per-
son who has no element of sympathy in his heart nor a
human touch, is not fit to be called even a man and he can-
not know God. He who treats his enemies lovingly will
disarm them in no time.
Insofar as you can, try to do no injury to anyone. Be
good to all and you will be at peace with yourself and be
a radiating center of loving grace around you. The prayers
of others to whom you may have done good will help you.
The good thoughts of others will swarm around you with a
benediction. The very idea of doing good will first affect
you and draw all good vibrations from the surrounding
atmosphere.
In a nutshell, we have just laid a Punch Shila o r five fun-
damental truths on which we can build the wonderful
mansion of spirituality. These are:
1. Non-violence in thought, word, and deed.
2. Truthfulness.
3 . Chastity.
4. Love for all and hatred for none, irrespective of po-
sition, wealth, or learning.
5. Selfless service-physical and financial-and a will-
ing share in the joys and sorrows of others.
The Living Master cuts asunder the Gordian
knot o f a n initiate.
302 THE CIRCULAR LETTERS
ment the "self enters into the picture and the question
of "I-ness" arises, the single-pointedness of concentration
is dissipated and inner advancement is made impossible.
Besides, the goal of the spiritual aspirant lies far beyond
the limits of individuality. His goal is union with the Ab-
solute and such union must necessarily be a denial of the
limits that separate us from each other. He who cannot
rise above the ego, the faculty which creates these very
limits, cannot hope to attain to that station which is the
denial of all individuality and a realization of the oneness
of all life.
Hence it is that mystics of all traditions have been
untiring in their stress of the need for absolute self-sur-
render. It was this cross of sacrifice of the self, the ego, of
which Jesus spoke when he exhorted his disciples to bear
their cross daily. For in every little act, word or thought,
the ego is seeking to dominate us and if the seeker is to
triumph over it, he must be prepared to crucify it every
moment. To achieve this degree of self-surrender, one
must not look up to the Deity in Its Abstract form but in
Its human form as the Master. For how else is one to
know God's Will directly, in order to surrender one's self
to it? What one may take as an intuition inspired by the
Divine may be really one's own self speaking in disguise,
and surrender to such seeming intentions may be really
surrender to the self, the ego. However, if one has found
a true Master, who is attuned to the Lord and is His
mouthpiece, and obeys him in all things completely and
absolutely, he will surely destroy the hydra-headed serpent
of the ego and reach his heavenly home one day. There
will be moments in the course of such love when one,
judging from one's own limited understanding, doubts
3 10 THE CIRCULAR LETTERS
get together, where persons may meet for idle gossip and
indulge in unbecoming activities. It should be the en-
deavor of all to maintain and preserve sanctity of the
place chosen and reserved for the sacred cause of the Mas-
ter. I t is, therefore, of the utmost importance that all
initiates and others, including visitors to the Ashram,
should observe and maintain integrity, piety and sobriety
of the highest degree possible and try to serve one an-
other with reverential humility and loving grace, so as to
become fit channels of receptivity.
3. Like religious discipline, spiritual discipline is a fur-
ther step for the smooth working of the Ashrams and re-
quires of all an extra care in decorum. Here are no priests
to greet you, or help you to conduct any rites or rituals,
for they are not adopted there and have little to do in
the field of spirituality. It is only the outstretched guiding
Hand of the gracious Master Power, in all loving compas-
sion and mercy, ever ready to afford possible help and
guidance on the inner Path. What is required is silence,
serenity and seclusion. All are, therefore, expected to be
calm, cordial and composed; deeply receptive for the ever-
present grace of the Master. In the hushing silence and
thick verdure of green foliage, you will be blessed with
the white radiance of the Master Power. The rich fragrant
breeze will reveal to you the heavenly melodies of the
Audible Life Stream, reverberating through the charged
atmosphere. Each pilgrimage will bless you with soul-
stirring experiences of the divine vibrations.
4. The atmosphere within these premises, as said be-
fore, should be free from all idle pursuits and discussions
of non-spiritual subjects like politics, economics, philoso-
HOW TO MAINTAIN ASHRAMS 319
phy and the like. The place should be reserved solely for
contemplation of the sacred teachings of the gracious Mas-
ter, and the scriptural texts of the past sages and seers of
the Surat Shabd Yoga, for conducting discourses on spir-
ituality and practicing regular meditations both in the
mornings and evenings, for in such congregations the Mas-
ter Power is stirred to its deepest depths and one can gain
immense spiritual benefit.
5. The celestial gift of the Holy Naam, as you know,
is granted freely and in abundance like all other gifts
of Nature, viz., air, water, sunshine, etc. It is not the
practice to accept any donations from visitors, casual
inquisitic souls and others coming to the Ashram. The
expenses of the Ashrams should be met with from volun-
tary subscriptions from the initiates only, which they may
do. All such collections should be accounted for carefully
and the funds thus raised should be utilized for the propa-
gation of the holy teachings, with the concurrence and ap-
proval of the Managing Committee at each place. It is in
the fitness of things to keep regular account of incomings
to and outgoings from the Ashram funds, and periodical
statements thereof be forwarded to the Central Office at
Ruhani Satsang, Sawan Ashram, Gurmandi, Delhi-7
(India) for information and record.
6. "Selfless Service" is a great purifying agent and is a
powerful aid in spiritual advancement. All those who have
been privileged to be entrusted with the blessed task of
the maintenance of these Ashrams should set an example
of complete self-dedication in body, mind and spirit. H e
who serves most with a spirit of self-denial and abnega-
tion is honored much and earns the pleasure of the Mas-
320 THE CIRCULAR LETTERS
Such a man is all the time occupied with himself; but true
humility is freedom from all consciousness of self, which
includes freedom from the consciousness of humility. The
truly humble man never knows that he is humble.
The truly humble man accepts everything as coming
from the hands of God. He knows that in him there is
nothing praiseworthy. All the good that is in him is
from God, and the praise that men give him belongs to
God. When the young man called Jesus "Good Teacher,"
Jesus quietly said, "Why call me good? There is none
good but God."
"Humility," says Lacordaire, "does not consist in hid-
ing our talents and virtues, in thinking ourselves worse
and more ordinary than we are, but in possessing a clear
knowledge of all that is lacking in us, and not exalting
ourselves for that which we have, seeing that God has
freely given it us, and with all His gifts, we are still in-
finitely of little importance."
So the truly humble man may accept sometimes the
praise which men give him, and quietly passes it on to
God, keeping nothing for himself.
The man who is not truly humble behaves in a very
unnatural manner when he is not praised by men. He be-
comes upset, loses his patience and even becomes angry.
He repulses them with his irritation and creates for them
an awkward situation. Sometimes he suppresses his feel-
ings and remains silent; but he cannot forget the things
that are said about him; they haunt him again and again,
and do not give him peace of mind.
The humble man makes no fuss. He is at harmony with
himself and others. He is gifted with a wondrous feeling of
peace. He feels safe and secure, like a ship in harbor, un-
HUMILITY 347
been annihilated. His self has vanished into God, and only
God remains. God works in him and through him. and
God emits in his eyes. God speaks in his words. On his
feet, God walks the earth; and through his hands gives His
benedictions to all.
Such men are the real strength of the world-its illumi-
nation and inspiration. T o see them is to commune with
God, for God dwells in them. They are the living, moving
Temples of the Lord. They are the ones who keep the
world intact, though they do not know it themselves. The
whole earth depends on them without anyone being aware
of it. Their hearts and minds are in tune with the Great
Heart and Mind of humanity. They are in complete ac-
cord with all that lives. They give their love to all living
beings, as though they were the sons of the one sweet
Mother. They have broken all fetters and entered into the
freedom of the children of God. God does their will, be-
cause they have merged their wills in His. God fulfills their
least desire, for it is He Who desires all their desires. They
are the little saviors of humanity.
I wish each one of you to follow the lesson of humility,
born of love and simplicity.
BLESSED ARE THE POOR I N SPIRIT was issued on Novem-
ber 11, 1967, and was the third o f the 1967 circulars. I t
was first published under the present title in Sat Sandesh
in November 1971.
Blessed are the Poor in Spirit
Blessed are ye, who, for the
D EAR CHILDREN OF LIGHT:
sake of righteousness, offer to work in the vineyard
of the Master, and more so, those who are actually en-
gaged in the work. It is indeed a rare privilege which comes
in one's way as a matter of grace, and not because there is
anything special in us, and we must not on that account
feel elated and exalted. On the contrary, we should thank
our stars for having been given such an opportunity, and
try to serve the noble cause with contrition and humility.
It should always be our earnest endeavor to make our-
selves worthy of the trust and responsibility with which we
have been entrusted, in spite of our weaknesses and
shortcomings.
It would always pay us if we occasionally make a pause,
to take stock of what we are, for at times we are carried
away in our zeal to limits; limits beyond the limits of rea-
son. The human mind is very tricky and treacherous. In
diverse ways, quite imperceptibly, it starts playing antics.
At times, we begin to feel that we are God's elect. We
know full well the Divine Plan, and that the power of God
cannot but work through us. We should know that we are
yet on the way to perfection, and not in any sense near per-
fection. Perfection is the goal that has to be achieved. Be
ye perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is per-
fect is what Christ taught two thousand years ago, and his
teachings are as true today as they were then.
352 THE C I R C U L A R LETTERS
table for you to read this, along with the previous circu-
lars of June 6, 1967, and November 11, 1967, together
with the Birthday Message of July 1967, as all of these,
including this one, present an integrated view of true
living as enjoined by the Masters.
I would also greatly appreciate it if you would chalk
out the lines for yourself, and also send periodical reports
on the progress made from time to time. The Master
Power overhead, I am sure, will help us to achieve the
desired results. My best wishes are with you.
With all love, and more of it,
Yours affectionately,
KIRPAL SINGH
T H E MESSAGE OF THE MASTERS was the very first article
in the very first issue (January 1968) o f Sat Sandesh maga-
zine, and conveys both Master's high expectations for it
and the protection that has always been with it since the
earliest days. The magazine was very dear to his heart,
and those of us who were associated with it will treasure
forever the memories of him reading it and going over it
so carefully.
The Message of the Masters
I am sending you Sat Sandesh, the message
D EAR ONES,
of the Lord, all saints and prophets have been bring-
ing from time to time for the guidance and uplift of man.
Kabir says: "I am the knower of the True Home of the
Father and have come to give you the message of God."
God's message is:
"I am the Lord of all creation. Man is the highest
in all creation. He is next to Me. I have given equal priv-
ileges to all mankind. They are born in the same way
and with the same outer and inner construction. This is
the golden opportunity you have been given to know
Me. Ever since you were sent down to the world, you
have not returned to Me-the True Home-but have
stuck fast in the enjoyments of mind and outgoing fac-
ulties so much so that you have forgotten even yourself,
what to speak of Me. I sent saints and prophets to awak-
en and to bring you back to Me but you did not care
to come. Instead of appreciating their services, you have
been molesting them.
"I sent Christ-the Word made flesh-who reminded
you vehemently: change your mind, for the Kingdom of
Heaven is at hand. Religions came into being to keep the
teachings of all such Masters afresh. Religion in its pris-
tine beauty means a living reality. It is a state of universal
God-consciousness, in which you live, move and have your
being in My loving presence. All your activities or insti-
3 64 THE CIRCULAR LETTERS
The time has come for all Group Leaders and Repre-
sentatives to evaluate their position and be ready to as-
sume larger responsibilities than they have hitherto carried
out. They should have sufficient knowledge of the Teach-
ings to be able to answer most questions on the Path and
also deal with questions asked on comparative religions,
with special reference to the Bible, when compared to the
Surat Shabd Yoga. If a Group Leader believes that he/she
cannot answer a particular question or solve a particular
situation, the matter may be referred to the Representative
for reply. If a Representative believes that he/she cannot
deal with it honestly, only then should it be referred to me.
I should also like to say a few words about the numer-
ous personal problems which the dear ones refer to me
for a solution to their difficulties. While I am happy to
give the right guidance, it should also be remembered that
those initiated by me are looked after by the gracious Mas-
ter Power working overhead, Who is ever with His chil-
dren and can solve all of their problems if they but put
themselves in a receptive mood. In this regard, an applica-
tion of sound common sense together with a calm consider-
ation of the facts can work wonders in developing recep-
tivity to the Master Power. Receptivity is the key which
can not only solve your material difficulties, but also un-
lock the Kingdom of Heaven within you.
At the time of Initiation, the Master imparts His own
life impulse. When we remember Him, He remembers us.
with all His heart and soul. He is not the body. He is the
Word made flesh. To get the full benefit of the Master
Power, the disciple must develop receptivity. It is impos-
sible to develop receptivity until implicit obedience is giv-
en to the commandments of the Master. When you pay
HOW TO DEVELOP RECEPTIVITY 377
I1
November 5, 1969
In my Circular Letter of June 13, it was
D EAR ONES:
explained in detail what is the responsibility of each
and every initiate, the true meaning of Initiation and the
life to be led by one who wishes to progress on the Path.
In continuation, I should like to say a few words on
Sadachar or the righteous life, without which one cannot sit
in the quiet of his own self and, with concentrated atten-
tion, pierce through the inner darkness.
To achieve true spiritual progress, one must lead "the
good life," I may even say a "God-like life," before much
inner progress can be made. At the same time, one must
3 80 THE CIRCULAR LETTERS
I11
January 27, 1970
Dear Ones:
increase in correspondence received here
T HE RECENT
indicates that the many books written by me, in ad-
dition to the Circular Letters issued over the past two
years, especially those dated June 13 and November 5 ,
1969, have not been read, appreciated and digested by the
dear ones. This is confirmed by the contents of the letters
written to me by most of the initiates, which bring up the
same questions and problems which had been answered
in previous letters, or could have been answered by a prop-
er study of the books and circulars already referred to.
386 T H E C I R C U L A R LETTERS
IV
February 20, 1971
VER THE PAST YEAR, I have observed from the spiritual
0 diaries sent in by the dear ones, that they report little
or no inner progress, some even mentioning that they have
made no headway since the time of their holy Initiation.
Because there appears to be a lack of right understanding
as to why steady progress has not been made, I should
like to clarify the process by which such progress can be
achieved.
If the dear ones were to do their spiritual practices cor-
rectly, with due regard to self-introspection, they would,
as sure as two and two make four, rise above body con-
sciousness and transcend into the Beyond, where the In-
ner Master is patiently waiting to greet His children at
the threshold of the astral plane. But because they are un-
able to do this, even for a short while, they erroneously
believe their meditations to be barren of all concrete re-
sults.
If you were able to follow the Master's instructions ac-
curately, you would be sure to agree with St. Paul, who tells
us in the Bible: "I die daily." Therefore, what is it that
prevents you from following the Master's instructions? It
is your own mind, which you have not yet been able to
coax away from the outer attachments of the world to the
bliss that awaits it inside.
HOW TO DEVELOP RECEPTIVITY 39 1
v
July 6, 1973
LIGHT, REPRESENTATIVES, GROUP
D EAR CHILDREN OF
LEADERS, INITIATES, SEEKERS OF GOD AND ASPIRANTS:
It is a pleasure to see that the Vineyard of Hazur is in full
bloom and His family is growing from strength to strength
with the passage of time. Along with this, there is a cor-
responding increase in the work load, especially in the
incoming mail that is growing in bulk each day.
In this connection, I have already issued three detailed
Circular Letters-dated June 13 and November 5, 1969,
and January 27, 1970, as printed in Receptivity-followed
by another on February 20, 1971. The main purpose of
issuing these Circular Letters was to provide useful and
practical guidelines to the dear ones on the Path and con-
sequently to streamline and cut down the unnecessary and
avoidable correspondence. But it appears that the instruc-
tions contained therein have not been read, appreciated
and followed in the spirit in which they were issued. It is
evident from the incessant inflow of numerous routine and
394 T H E CIRCULAR LETTERS